BROWARD DEPUTY ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY TAKING COCAINE, USING IT ON DUTY

A Broward Sheriff's Office patrol deputy was arrested after taking
cocaine and another drug from what he thought was an abandoned car
and then using the cocaine while on duty, authorities said Wednesday.

Robert Delaney Jr., 41, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing
cocaine and oxycodone. Delaney is free on $10,000 bond but has been
suspended without pay, said Elliot Cohen, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.

Delaney couldn't be reached and it was unclear Wednesday whether he
had hired an attorney. Delaney joined the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Police Department in 1995 and later the Sheriff's Office when it
absorbed the department in 2001. His personnel file reflects positive
reviews and several commendations from commanders and citizens.

According to Delaney's arrest report, the investigation into his
conduct began after a confidential informant told the Sheriff's
Office in February that Delaney had been buying and using cocaine.
Detectives set up a sting by staging an abandoned vehicle investigation.

On Tuesday, detectives put 4 grams of cocaine and six pills of
oxycodone, an opiate-based painkiller, in a car in the 2200 block of
West Sample Road. They set up a surveillance unit across the street
and monitored video and audio in the staged car.

The Sheriff's Office then dispatched Delaney to investigate the car.
According to the report, Delaney rifled through the car, pocketed the
drugs and then tried to wipe the interior of the vehicle with a towel
to eliminate fingerprints. He left without documenting his
investigation or telling his supervisors that drugs were found, the
report said.

Detectives followed Delaney during the rest of his shift and
confronted him a few hours later.

According to the report, Delaney admitted to detectives that he
ingested some of the cocaine shortly after leaving the abandoned car,
still had some of the drugs in his wallet and kept the pills in his
Sheriff's Office patrol car. While following Delaney, the detectives
did not know he had taken cocaine, the report said.

Cohen said detectives have seen no evidence that Delaney's illegal
activities extended beyond a personal drug habit.

"The tip only focused on the fact he was using and purchasing drugs,"
Cohen said.

If convicted of the felony charges, Delaney faces up to 10 years in prison.

Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.